The past three Cheltenham Festivals have been unproductive for Alan King, at least by his former high standards, and he is once more short of contenders for the four showcase races of the week. But he has significant strength in depth this time and there was a degree of confidence as he discussed his intended runners at his Barbury Castle stables in Wiltshire on Thursday morning.

"I think they're the best bunch of young horses we've had for a long time," he said. "Last year, we were really pinning our hopes on one horse and luckily we got away with it," a reference to Bensalem, who won a handicap chase on the opening day of the 2011 Festival.

"It makes you hungry," King said of his recent lean years but he is fourth in the trainers' table this season and has an especially talented bunch of four-year-old hurdlers. In the Triumph Hurdle, a race he has won twice in the past seven years, King fields Grumeti and Balder Succes, and his skills of diplomacy will be put to the test, as the owners of the two horses have adjoining boxes in the Cheltenham grandstand.

King generated as much interest from the press corps in another four-year-old, Vendor, who runs off a low weight in the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle. "I think Vendor is every bit as good as they are," King said, provoking laughter among his listeners, as that would surely make the grey extremely hard to beat in his race. "Something'll come and ruin it," the trainer added, smiling.

Here is what he had to say about each of his horses who are currently in line for the Festival.

Montbazon

Goes for the Supreme Novice Hurdle. He was a high-class bumper horse last year and had a confidence-boosting win at Plumpton. He then won well at Newbury and is learning all the time. The more experience he gets, the better he gets. He worked well on Wednesday and won't mind good ground. When he got beaten at Cheltenham in November, all of mine were very short, they were needing the run and he blew up turning in, and he came back with sore shins. Since Christmas, we've had a lovely clear run with him and that's just him maturing, I think. I don't think he's the finished article. He'll jump a fence in time. He's not a big horse but he's very powerful.

Hold On Julio

He came to us in the summer and we didn't realise what we had until he started working in the autumn. He trotted up on his debut at Sandown and then he followed up at Sandown despite one or two errors. The railway fences there can be difficult; if you meet one wrong, you meet them all wrong and that's what happened to him but he never looked like falling. He had a hold-up in January, when he was coughing for 10 to 14 days, and we're only just getting him back to form now. He worked very well on Wednesday and he goes for the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase on the first day. It's been a lucky race for us in the past, we won it with Fork Lightning in 2004 when he was my first Festival winner, and again with Bensalem last year. I'd have preferred to have got another run into him before Cheltenham but he'll have a couple of good schools next week. He's got an entry in the Grand National but let's get Cheltenham out of the way first.

Bless The Wings

Is entered in the Byrne Group Plate but is more likely to run in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices Handicap Chase. He was a course-and-distance winner in January and is progressive. He's won two of his three runs over fences. He was probably in front too soon in January, when he led three out, but he stayed on powerfully. There was all sorts of carnage around and about him that day but it didn't faze him at all. He seems in really good order and is adaptable as to ground.

Iron Chancellor

Goes for the Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase. He's been placed on all his starts over fences this season. I was desperate to get one more run into him but he has to go left and my options were limited. I sent him to Fakenham, which is very tight and he didn't handle it at all but he did stay on powerfully and passed a few horses. He might not have the class for this but he'll be staying on at the finish. It's a much better race than it used to be.

Secret Edge

Looking at the weights, he's unlikely to get into the Martin Pipe race, which would have been the best event for him. He's in the Fred Winter but I'd be nervous about going two miles on good ground with him. We'll leave him in everything and see what happens. I'd love to run him somewhere at the Festival and it may well be in the Neptune Investment Management Novice Hurdle, where he'll get an extra 4lb from Batonnier [compared to when he trailed him by five lengths in January].

Batonnier

We thought he was our best bumper horse two years ago and he duly won one but he couldn't follow up. It's taken a long time and he had a hold-up in the autumn but we got him to Cheltenham on New Year's Day, when he was staying on at the finish. Then his homework before he went back there in January was very good and he won. He's in the Coral Cup but I'm 99% certain he'll run in the Neptune. If the forecast is right, it will suit him. He gives us every indication at home that he hasn't gone backwards and he's an interesting runner.

Walkon

It looks as if he and Invictus will both run in the RSA Chase, though I'm concerned for Walkon if the ground is quick. He won easily on his chasing debut at Exeter but he's been beaten twice since then at Newbury. He's actually been beaten on all four starts at Newbury and I read on Wednesday a theory that he might not be suited by the place. I can't see any reason why he wouldn't like it, it's a fair, galloping track, but maybe there's something in it. I just feel he's crying out for a step up in trip.

Invictus

He's made rapid progress since he saw a fence this year. There was a slight hiccup when he was beaten at Cheltenham on New Year's Day but he lost his near-fore shoe quite early in the race and he returned pretty sore on that leg. I gave him time to get over that and he won the Reynoldstown at Ascot, always travelling well. Some people think Bobs Worth will turn the tables in the RSA and maybe he will but I'd be surprised. He's a big horse but he does operate on good ground.

Vendor

Runs in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. He would have been placed in a Grade One on his last start in France but for falling at the last. He hit the last on his British debut at Newbury and did well to pick up Tango De Juilley. I couldn't quite believe it when the handicapper came out with a rating of 122, so we didn't run him again to preserve it. He's on 129 now, he went up 7lb for standing in his box, but I'd be very disappointed if he's not a whole lot better than that. He hasn't raced on good but I'd be surprised if he didn't handle it, he's a good-actioned horse. I would love to have got another run into him, just from an experience point of view but you can't show your hand these days. I believe in his younger days, he was a bit quirky. I think he jinked and the jockey fell off one day but the longer we've had him, the more relaxed he's got. He switches off really well now.

Fire Fighter

He's not here on parade because he's a bit of a lad and he'd probably kick somebody. He's a second string to our bow in the Fred Winter and I'll probably put blinkers on to sharpen him up and keep him focused. He is genuine, though.

Medermit

Is in the Ryanair Chase and the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup. I don't know which race he'll run in. Every day, I wake up with a different idea of where he should run. You don't know if he'll stay three and a quarter miles, especially as there looks to be a huge amount of pace in the Gold Cup. I'm fairly relaxed about it. I wish his owners would make the decision but they want me to do it. They might not have another chance to own a Gold Cup runner. There's only one Gold Cup. If it came up soft, he'd definitely run in the Ryanair.

Smad Place

He summered extremely well and I was thrilled with him in October. Then he threw a splint and it took six weeks to come right. He won a Grade Two at Ascot in January, then gave 29lb to one of Donald McCain's back there and just failed. I can't see him winning a Coral Cup on 10st 12lb so it'll probably be the Ladbrokes World Hurdle if he does go to Cheltenham. I wouldn't risk him if the ground was fast. I see Timeform have said that, if he ran to his mark, he'd have been third in the last three World Hurdles.

Midnight Appeal

He came into the Cheltenham team last week when he won at Sandown and he goes for the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase. He's won five of his eight runs over fences and he's been placed in the rest but he wasn't even sighted over hurdles, never mind winning one. Blinkers seemed to transform him at Sandown and he's another that won't mind decent ground.

Grumeti

I was thrilled with him at Kempton on Saturday and he's come out of the race in grand form. I think good ground does suit him. He's done very little wrong, though he was a bit unfortunate when he came down on his second start at Newbury. He and Balder Succes go for the JCB Triumph Hurdle. Robert Thornton and Wayne Hutchinson have both ridden both of them and Choc [Thornton] will make his decision nearer the time. It's going to be a difficult call. I wouldn't think there's much between the two of them. He was a horse I'd always had my eye on. I kept saying to the owner, when he was racing on the Flat, this is the horse I want for the Triumph. He sold him but fortunately we were lucky enough to buy him. He was a horse I followed all last Flat season.

Balder Succes

He's a different type to Grumeti, he's a proper National Hunt horse. I've loved him from day one. He completely routed them at Ascot last time. He's extremely straightforward to train and he's a good-actioned horse, so there's no reason why he shouldn't go on better ground, though all his races have been on ground with some cut. He's still got an entry in the Supreme but the logical thing is to keep him against his own age group and his owners are keen to go down that route [to the Triumph]. I've had a few good four-year-olds over the years and he and Grumeti would both be right up there with the best of them.

Raya Star

He keeps creeping up the weights. He's gone up another 3lb for finishing third in the Betfair Handicap Hurdle last time. His only Festival entry is in the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle. I think the stiff track will help him. The surprising thing is that both the Newbury race and the Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot, which he won, were slowly run early on. He wants a strong pace and I'd like to think he can still be competitive. He's certainly benefited from ear plugs, they've calmed him down no end.

Lovcen

He amazed me at Doncaster, crashing out at the second flight. That's not like him at all, he's very accurate normally. He bounced back to win at Wincanton last time and he's up 12lb for that. He's almost favourite for the Martin Pipe but he's almost certain to run in the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle. He's the most laid-back of horses. He won't mind the ground and he'll be staying on at the finish.

Torphicen

He's in the Martin Pipe but he's not a certain runner. He'll be aimed at the Imperial Cup [at Sandown on the Saturday before the Festival] and if anything silly happened there or if he won, he might take his chance at Cheltenham.

Kumbeshwar

He wasn't going to be good enough for the Arkle Chase, so we took him out of that. I'm pretty certain he'll run in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase. I might pop blinkers on to sharpen him up. He did wear them on the Flat. I hope Nicky Henderson runs French Opera in the race, which will mean he only has 10-8 to carry. He's had a break since Doncaster, he worked great on Wednesday and he's adaptable as to ground.

Sir Harry Ormesher

He runs at Doncaster on Saturday. Depending on how he got on, he might well take his chance in the Martin Pipe. He usually comes to himself in the spring.

Valdez

He runs at Newbury this weekend and we'll see how he gets on. He has the option of the Champion Bumper at the Festival.